Teth (also written as Tet) is the ninth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Teth has the same sound as “t” as in “trouble”, but it means “good, better, or best”. Every line in Psalm 119:65-72 starts with this letter. Teth looks like this:

 There are two very different ways to interpret this letter.

First, it is a picture of an open container in which something good is hidden. The first use of the letter Teth is in Genesis 1:4, “God saw that the light was good (tov).” The world was birthed day by day and each new creation was declared to be good. Truly, God’s goodness is all around us, hidden in creation.

Some Rabbis teach that the letter represents the womb, where for nine months, something good is hidden. Therefore, as the ninth letter in the Aleph-Bet, it is connected with spiritual birth or renewal. In the New Testament, there are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit that are planted into the soil of all believers’ hearts. That seed is hidden until it produces fruit and grows as we continue to mature in Him. The Christian life is “pregnant” with God’s goodness.

The letter Teth also looks like someone bowing in prayer, opening their heart to God’s hidden treasures of the Holy Spirit and the Word. The left side of Teth is a Zayin, the seventh letter, that shows Jesus as the crowned man. Believers are portrayed on the right side, bowing before the Victorious Savior.

The second interpretation, in drastic contrast to the first, sees the letter Teth as the serpent, coiling into earth and injecting evil into the world. This strange duality in one letter makes a profound point.

“Will we choose to surrender our lives, offering ourselves as living sacrifices or will we inwardly rebel and live in selfish pride that marks the devil? (hebrew4christians.com)

“There is a famous optical illusion (shown below) which depicts both a beautiful young woman and an old woman with a wart on her nose. Some suggest that whichever image you first see indicates something about how you think and perceive the world. But, whether or not this is true of this image, it is a good illustration of the Teth. Like the image of the two women, Teth is the letter with two messages – two Judgments. And what you spiritually see in Teth is determined by your own personal experience and choice regarding Yahweh.

For those who choose Yahweh and abide in Him, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are given – that is the JUDGMENT that we receive! Beautiful thought!

God is the Judge, but I decide what my judgment will be. He sets before me the choice – ‘I set before you this day blessing and cursing, life and death. Therefore choose life.’ (Deut. 30:19) The Teth shows the two-fold nature of Yahweh’s Judgment.” (www.lightedway.org)

What do you see when you look at Teth?

Open my eyes, that I may see Your goodness.

Next: My favorite word in the Bible that starts with “I”.